An adventure of their own
by Kedi
Summary: Jiminy and Red go on an adventure of their own. (A missing scene from 3x12 New York City Serenade.)


**Summary:** Jiminy and Red go on an adventure of their own. (A missing scene from 3x12 New York City Serenade.)

**Characters:** Jiminy Cricket, Red Riding Hood, cameo by Granny and Pinocchio, mentions of Geppetto, Grumpy, Belle, and the Charmings.

**Pairing:** Red Cricket friendship

**Author's note:** What can I say? 17 seconds of CGI and chirping was not enough for me! :P

**Warning:** Might contain spoilers for future episodes if any of my theories turn out to be true. (But what are the odds of that, really?)

. o O o .

Archie felt Belle shiver beside him and tightened his one armed hug. The frighteningly familiar purple cloud of magic curled and swirled from Regina's hands as the unfamiliar but equally terrifying green cloud approached relentlessly.

_'This is it,'_ he thought and fought down the urge to run - there was nowhere to run, after all; no escape for anyone but Emma and Henry. Closing his eyes he braced himself, waiting for the inevitable.

The two powerful fronts of magic collided with a thunderous roar and washed over them like a ferocious storm, pushing and pulling from all sides. Belle was yanked out of his grasp - or maybe he was yanked out of hers - and the magic tugged and tore at him, infusing and changing every cell in his body. The process would have been painful had it lasted longer, but the change was blessedly brief.

They were back. They were home.

Instinct kicked in and set his wings in motion, saving him from a nasty fall as the ground suddenly appeared far, far below him. He landed rather clumsily on a nearby shoulder - whose shoulder he didn't know and frankly didn't care - and latched on tightly as the world slowly re-settled around him. The change from man to cricket was much more jarring this time around. He much preferred Blue's gentler touch.

But despite the discomfort - which was slowly starting to fade - he was relieved; discounting the cursed years he had been a cricket longer than he had been a man, and though he would no doubt later mourn the second loss of his humanity right now he found himself immensely grateful for the familiarity of being back in his own body.

"Jiminy? Jiminy, can you hear me?"

A sweet voice broke through the last remnants of disorientation and he looked up, his death grip on what he now realised was a crimson cloak easing ever so slightly.

"Red?"

She sighed with a relieved smile and lowered the hand she had raised in apparent worry that he might tumble from her shoulder. "You didn't answer at first, I was worried! Are you alright?"

He nodded as he rose on almost steady feet, shaking out his wings and absentmindedly brushing dust off himself; a few particles sparkled as they fell but he didn't notice, hands suddenly stilling over his chest as he came to a disheartening realisation.

"Oh no..."

His megaphone. He hadn't needed it in Storybrooke, but he would need it here.

"What? Jiminy, what's wrong?"

Red's concerned tone broke through his musings and he shook his head and waved his hands in an attempt to ward off her worry.

"I'm fine, Red," he assured her. "But my megaphone is gone. It's probably back at Snow and Charming's castle, at least that's where I last had it." Goodness, he hoped it was still there. If it wasn't he didn't know how he would ever find it again. "I need to find it, otherwise no one but you, Blue, and Grumpy will understand a word I'm saying!"

She opened her mouth to reply then suddenly turned towards the woods so quickly that Jiminy had to grip a hold of her cloak again lest he be knocked from his perch.

"Woah! Red, what-"

"I smell something. Some_one_. They appeared suddenly." Her eyes were fixed on the trees in the distance, a golden sheen flashing over the green of her irises. "The wind is just right, I can smell them. That way," she pointed, "a mile and a half or so away."

Jiminy took to the air, looking in the direction she was pointing even though he knew he wouldn't be able to sense them like Red could.

"Can you tell if they are friends or foes?"

Snow and Emma had spoken of ogres and fiends and suffering when they returned from their involuntary trip to the Enchanted Forest, who knew what dangers awaited them all now?

Red sniffed the air with a frown. "I don't recognise all of them, but they're definitely from Storybrooke. We should check it out."

She started forward but Jiminy moved in front of her face, holding up both hands to stop her. "Red, wait! We should all stick together, we can't just run off without -"

"Geppetto and Pinocchio are among them, Jiminy."

His protest died in his throat. The look Red gave him told him she had known it would.

Granny chose that moment to appear by Red's side, giving her granddaughter a knowing look. "You smell them too, don't you?" She nodded towards Jiminy in greeting, look turning a little sad. "Good to see you, Jiminy. I'm sure gonna miss that smile of yours, but I'm glad you're here with us."

She didn't give him the chance to reply before turning back to Red, all business. "Sounds like Snow and Charming are regrouping at the Evil Queen's palace. They're taking Regina with them - and not as a prisoner." What she thought of _that_ decision was abundantly clear from her expression alone. "But since we obviously didn't all appear in the same spot someone needs to let the other groups know where to rendezvous."

Red glanced quickly over at Jiminy before meeting her grandmother's eyes again with a smirk. "Jiminy and I will go. We've got stuff to do anyways."

"Oh you do, do you?" Granny's raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by her granddaughter's flippancy. "And what 'stuff' might that be, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I need to find my translator."

The words escaped before Jiminy could stop them. As Red giggled and Granny's other eyebrow joined the first in a look of surprise, Jiminy hid his face in his hands and groaned at his own stupidity.

"Ah," the matron said. "Well, I'm guessing that means you're off to find his megaphone?" At Red's affirmative nod Granny straightened her shoulders and nodded too. "Yeah, you'll need that, Jiminy. Can't have you chirping away like that without anyone understanding you. I'll let the others know the plan."

"Oh, Granny would y-" Stopping himself with a groan he changed tracks: "I mean, Red, please ask Granny to check up on Belle for me. I'd talk to her myself but it wouldn't do much good without my megaphone."

Red dutifully conveyed his request and Granny nodded in agreement.

"I will," she assured Red before huffing a little self-consciously and looking pointedly at Jiminy instead. "I mean, I will, Jiminy. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her. Now you two get going! The sooner you get that megaphone the better. This is getting ridiculous."

The Lucases hugged quickly before Granny made her way back towards the others. Jiminy settled on Red's shoulder again as she started moving towards the tree line.

It only took a few steps before he realised she was biting her lip to keep from laughing. It wasn't hard to guess what she found so funny.

"I spoke without thinking, okay?"

She bit her lip harder. He facepalmed with a dramatic sigh and she burst out laughing, just like he had hoped she would.

"In my defence she used to be able to hear me."

"Not much of a defence, Jiminy."

"How 'bout I've gotten used to not needing it?"

"Better, but still not great."

"Well, you can't blame a guy for trying."

A few minutes passed in comfortable silence before Jiminy cleared his throat. "So erm... _'we'_ got stuff to do?"

Ruby rolled her eyes with a sound of exasperation - but a fond one, he thought. "Of course 'we', silly! I won't let you fly off all by yourself! 'Cause you won't let even Geppetto and Pinocchio join you, huh? You'd much prefer them with the Charmings. Safety in numbers and all that."

To be honest he hadn't thought that far ahead yet, but he couldn't deny the truth of her assessment.

"I'm that predictable?"

She nodded, looking decidedly smug. "When it comes to the people you care about, yes, you are."

"It's just…" Jiminy sighed and scratched an antenna. "It would be safer if I travelled alone. We don't know what to expect anymore. No one, be it villains or ogres, would take notice of a cricket. But an old man and a child? They would be easy pickings for any ruffian we might encounter, nevermind anything more dangerous! And a beautiful woman dressed from head to toe in crimson?" He stepped a little closer to her face, trying to give his words more weight. "I know you can take care of yourself, Red, but you're not exactly inconspicuous. I'd much prefer you all to stay with the group, because yes, there is safety in numbers. Safety in swords and people strong enough to wield them to protect the people they love…"

He trailed off, feeling the first little stab of regret at the loss of his humanity. But then again, he told himself pragmatically, he had never been the sword-wielding type even as a man so it wouldn't have made much difference anyway. The closest he had come was his umbrella, which struck fear in nobody's heart.

"I need my translator," he continued, shaking the ridiculous mental image from his mind and focusing on his mission. "And I need it as quickly as possible. I'm next to useless if people can't understand me, and it's not a feasible solution to have you, Blue, or Grumpy always at hand to translate."

"First of all, you're certainly not useless, no matter what. Second, okay, I get why I and Blue understand you - I can hear you thanks to the wolf just like Granny could before hers faded, and Blue… well, Blue is Blue. But how come _Grumpy_ can understand you?"

Though he didn't agree with her first point he decided not to comment, instead shrugging with a soft chuckle as he thought back on how surprised he too had been to discover that Grumpy alone among the dwarfs could understand him. "I don't know. Grumpy is special, in many ways."

Red laughed in agreement. "That's certainly true!"

They were silent for a few beats before Jiminy spoke again. "So I take it I won't be able to talk you into going with the group, then?" He knew the answer, of course, but felt he had to ask.

She shook her head and threw him an unrepentant smirk. "Not gonna happen! You need to get your megaphone as quickly as possible, you said so yourself. In wolf form I'm faster than a horse - and certainly faster than a cricket in flight, even if I have to run around obstacles you can fly over. I can run for long periods of time before I need rest and I can certainly outrun whatever danger I can't take down. Seriously, you want me with you; you'll have a quick mode of transportation and a handy bodyguard, as well as an extra pair of eyes to help you look for your megaphone once we reach the castle. It's a no-brainer, what can I say?"

He looked at her profile from his perch on her shoulder and pondered her words. They rang true, there was no doubt about that. And it would be nice to have company.

"I appreciate the help. Thank you."

Her smirk turned into a more genuinely fond smile. "Any time, Jiminy."

. o O o .

"Look miss Red, Jiminy's back!"

Red looked over her shoulder to see little Pinocchio run forward with his hands held aloft, making a platform on which the tired cricket could land. The boy was grinning broadly in reply to his conscience's chirps even though he couldn't understand what he was saying. With a smile Red made her way over and crouched down beside the boy to be more at eye level with them both.

"My, Jiminy, that was quick! I didn't expect you back for a while yet."

Jiminy had insisted on reporting back to Charming's group to confirm the theory that Storybrookers were popping up all over the place. Red suggested they send a volunteer from the group, but Jiminy had rightly pointed out that it would be quicker for him to travel the distance as the crow flew - the terrain between the two groups was treacherous and Red, the next logical choice considering the need for speed, should use the chance to rest and to make preparations for their own trip.

He sounded a little out of breath, but shook his head and shrugged. "I didn't dally, I just told Grumpy and came straight back."

"Well, I guess it's kinda contradictory of me to say so after commenting on how 'quick' you were, but man, impressive stamina, doctor!"

The suggestive eyebrow wiggle was all Ruby and she was very amused to see the former psychiatrist suddenly looking quite flustered. There was no doubt in her mind that he would have been blushing brightly had he still been able to, and the knowledge made it all the more funny. Pinocchio looked between them with a questioning mien but seemed to shrug it off as one more "grown up" thing he didn't quite understand.

Much like the strange form of communication he and Red had been witness to earlier: when Red and Jiminy had caught up with the group of displaced Storybrookers Red had been prepared to translate, but to her surprise she hadn't been needed as an interpreter after all, because as soon as they found Geppetto Jiminy had launched into a series of complex mimes which apparently made perfect sense to the old man. It was clearly a language of simple and broad ideas, not one of complexity and precision, but still Jiminy seemed to get the meaning across to his old ward.

To Red it had looked more like weird expressionistic dancing, but thankfully Pinocchio had looked about as lost as she felt - she had taken a little comfort in that.

Jiminy cleared his throat awkwardly, still looking a little ill at ease. "Grumpy will tell the Charmings that this group, and anyone they meet on the way who wants to join them, will head for the old summer palace."

Red nodded. "We might come across other groups, too, before we reach the castle. We'll point them in the right direction. But now," she ruffled Pinocchio's hair with a grin as she nodded towards the camp fire behind her. "You should go find your papa so you three can say 'so long'. Jiminy and I need to get going."

"Okay, miss Red! Bye! See you when you get back!"

Red had to stifle a laugh at the sight of Pinocchio waving enthusiastically as he ran away, leaving Jiminy to latch onto his other hand with a startled yelp as half of the platform under his feet disappeared without warning.

Smile lingering she looked towards the horizon where the moon would rise in just a few hours. It wouldn't be full, but that didn't matter; it had been a long time since she needed the full moon to change. The light satchel by her feet that Geppetto had fashioned for her would hold her cloak once the moon rose, and Jiminy would catch a ride on her back. They had declined provisions since the forest provided food fit for both the wolf and the cricket. They would travel light since speed was of the essence.

It was not a trip without risk. Jiminy was right, they didn't know what dangers to expect. But despite everything Red felt excitement bubble in her chest. She and Jiminy were going on an adventure! She grinned in anticipation as she heard the sound of fluttering wings and felt the barely there weight of Jiminy as he landed on her shoulder.

"Ready?"

"I'm always ready for an adventure, Jiminy!" She laughed and started moving. "Hold on tight, here we go!"


End file.
